Are We Losing Good Sportsmen / Women Because of Stupid Initiation Ceremonies?

thepercy


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Here, generally these type of initiations are to be kept secret, and if asked about, they are greatly exaggerated, perhaps your son is being fooled? If you want your son to play for the Uni then exposing hazing rituals will do you little good, as this type of violation is often met with disbanding of or a lengthy ban for the club involved, and I suspect your son would be subject to considerable ridicule for your actions.
 

Taff


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Is running up and down a pitch naked that bad, or downing a few tinnies? or drinking a pint of ahem fluid etc etc.
His initiation ceremony wasn't too bad (but still bad enough if you're a self conscious 19 yr old) I've heard of a lot worse. The other initiation I mentioned previously (not my boys) involved the new player running and diving down a tarpaulin which has their teammates excrement and urine on it. I've done some bloody stupid things in my time, but that's not on even by my low standards. I'm just surprised that was an initiation ceremony that vile, they even have enough to put out a team.

His old Youth side (the one that got to 2 Millennium Stadium Finals) had an initiation ceremony when you first joined the Youth team which involved running into a pub in your boxers and downing a pint. This wasn't too bad and in fact some of the boys used to look forward to it. Usually somebody tipped off the pub first and there was a pint waiting for the "victim". It's difficult to imagine someone finding that off-putting, but when they got so extreme that they put off players from wanting to be part of the team they are meant to forge, it's self-defeating.

But this isn't just about my boy now; at first I thought it was only my boy who'd knocked it on the head because of initiation ceremonies, but from reading other peoples posts I was obviously wrong and I bet there's dozens at every Uni / College every year.

... If you want your son to play for the Uni then exposing hazing rituals will do you little good, as this type of violation is often met with disbanding of or a lengthy ban for the club involved, and I suspect your son would be subject to considerable ridicule for your actions.
Trust me, the last thing I want is for any team to be disbanded, and any conversations I have will not mention him by name. With a surname of "Evans" Sherlock Holmes himself would struggle to make the connection. There's probably hundreds of Evans' at his Uni.
 
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4eyesbetter


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But this isn't just about my boy now; at first I thought it was only my boy who'd knocked it on the head because of initiation ceremonies, but from reading other peoples posts I was obviously wrong and I bet there's dozens at every Uni / College every year.

There's been more than one thread on thestudentroom with people concerned about initiation ceremonies, to the point where it's starting to leak outwards from just people being concerned about it in a sports club context to being concerned about it being a possibility if they join any society.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1615397
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2316177
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=690802
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2112232
 

didds

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Here, generally these type of initiations are to be kept secret, and if asked about, they are greatly exaggerated, perhaps your son is being fooled? If you want your son to play for the Uni then exposing hazing rituals will do you little good, as this type of violation is often met with disbanding of or a lengthy ban for the club involved, and I suspect your son would be subject to considerable ridicule for your actions.


even more reason to raise it so that the real truth will out.

IF the rituals are truly not as bad, then there will be no problem, and everyone should be grateful that the issue having been raised outside of hearsay, all has been shown to be OK. If the rumours are true then frankly who's loss is it that some 19 year old cannot be ritually humiliated? If those in charge - and undoubtedly the coach is an adult and MUST know - cannot police themselves then its time for them to face the realities of life in the 21st century and that such practices are unacceptable.


We used to stick kids up chimneys - why don't we do that any longer?


didds
 

Stephen Elliott

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I hate(d) initiations. I always did them but then did everything I could to stop them, or tame them down. Most are about humiliation. Initiations are about bonding people together in a way that would be achieved, but cannot be achieved, through mutual suffering...
the trouble is, we play a game that's physically and mentally demanding but we want it played civilised. I'd like to see initiations take on a different slant emphasis on the attributes we want, but it shouldn't involve anyone getting naked or drunk.
E.g. Boot camp training sessions followed by exam on club history, player and official names and key plays. That would show you who's committed.
 

Stuartg


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I hate(d) initiations. I always did them but then did everything I could to stop them, or tame them down. Most are about humiliation. Initiations are about bonding people together in a way that would be achieved, but cannot be achieved, through mutual suffering...
the trouble is, we play a game that's physically and mentally demanding but we want it played civilised. I'd like to see initiations take on a different slant emphasis on the attributes we want, but it shouldn't involve anyone getting naked or drunk.
E.g. Boot camp training sessions followed by exam on club history, player and official names and key plays. That would show you who's committed.

Perhaps learning the laws of the game as well!
 
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Simon Thomas


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I hate(d) initiations. I always did them but then did everything I could to stop them, or tame them down. Most are about humiliation. Initiations are about bonding people together in a way that would be achieved, but cannot be achieved, through mutual suffering...
the trouble is, we play a game that's physically and mentally demanding but we want it played civilised. I'd like to see initiations take on a different slant emphasis on the attributes we want, but it shouldn't involve anyone getting naked or drunk.
E.g. Boot camp training sessions followed by exam on club history, player and official names and key plays. That would show you who's committed.

Yes some initiations are based around humiliation (as I posted above), but also I have had some initiations (outside of rugby) that do exactly what you desribe - bonding of a group, prompt awareness of others suffering or misfortune.
 

Constantine

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I had an 'initiation' into my university hall of residence. We were woken in the middle of the night by old residents, marched outside, and taught the hall chants. We weren't allowed back in until we could chant satisfactorily. It was good, took place during o-week so no one's studies were compromised, everyone was allowed clothes, no one had to chant by themselves unless they wanted to. By the end I felt like part of the hall, part of a tradition. Also it was a good way to meet people who weren't on the same floor as me.

I took part as an old resident the next year, and by the time the first-years were allowed back to bed, they looked excited to be part of the hall - not humiliated, angry, or upset.
 

Taff


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... I took part as an old resident the next year, and by the time the first-years were allowed back to bed, they looked excited to be part of the hall - not humiliated, angry, or upset.
Brilliant. If you're going to have an initiation ceremony, at least have one that people would want to do, rather than one which they dread.
 
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